Cracked Glass around Transom Motor Mounting Holes

[atengnr]

Hello, just had a new motor installed on my old boat (1968 saftmate). I noticed that the fiberglass on the inside of the boat is cracked around the bottom mounting bolt/washers and that the area is recessed in right around the bolt/washer.

Is this a sign that the transom is soft and a disaster is looming??

Thanks.

 

[kalla man]

Re: Cracked Glass around Motor Mounting Holes

Re: Cracked Glass around Motor Mounting Holes

the bolts may have been put on too tight.
is the area around the washers pushed in or just cracked?

 

[atengnr]

Re: Cracked Glass around Motor Mounting Holes

Re: Cracked Glass around Motor Mounting Holes

the bolts may have been put on too tight.
is the area around the washers pushed in or just cracked?

They are also pushed in..

Being that the boat is nearly 40 years old and I had to replace the floor and stringers in 1997, some bad wood in the trasom wouldnt surprise me...

How tight should these be??

 

[andy6374]

Re: Cracked Glass around Transom Motor Mounting Holes

If it's starting to pull through it's a tell tale sign something is wrong.

WIth the motor fully tilted up, push/pull up on the on the skeg of the motor....does the transom flex? This may take two peoplene to pull and one to watch.

Tapping around the transom with a little hammer will tell you stuff too. Thud=no good, pop=solid wood.

 

[atengnr]

Re: Cracked Glass around Transom Motor Mounting Holes

If it's starting to pull through it's a tell tale sign something is wrong.

WIth the motor fully tilted up, push/pull up on the on the skeg of the motor....does the transom flex? This may take two peoplene to pull and one to watch.

Tapping around the transom with a little hammer will tell you stuff too. Thud=no good, pop=solid wood.

The transom does not appear to flex, however, tapping on the transon seems to give more of a thud than a sharp sound.

The bottom bolts are loaded in the other direction by the engines thrust, correct??

 

[andy6374]

Re: Cracked Glass around Transom Motor Mounting Holes

Typically, but not always. The nuts for the upper mounting bolts are on the outside of the transom and on the inside for the lower mounting bolts.